“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” – Tom Peters in Fast Company
There are many different ways to build a career. Generally, it can take years to get your professional life in order. Most people need time to settle into a job, and to become more familiar with how an organization works. In the process of getting to this stage, career-driven professionals tend to look for ways to impress their superiors and make an impression on the organization. But few consider personal branding, and how the image and impression they create in the workplace can influence their career development.
Much like a business, building the right brand for yourself and your career is important to your progress in any workplace. There are a number of ways you can establish yourself in a workplace, but taking care over your personal brand can help you achieve your goals more directly. This can take time and additional attention, but the rewards for those who pull it off can be substantial.
How do others see you?
Your personal brand is the brand surrounding you as an individual. The way others perceive you has a big effect on whether you will be considered for promotion, or for handling larger prospects. At the same time, this isn’t always a wholly accurate perception, and little events throughout your working life will contribute to the way others think about your achievements and ability.
Personal branding should be targeted, but at the same time needs to permeate throughout everything you do at work. If you want to be seen as the consummate professional, for example, you need to uphold this in the way you behave and operate. While some instances will be more strategically significant than others, adopting the right persona from the outset will help you be seen as an important, indispensable team member from day one.
Friendships, recognition and gifting
Aside from your actual work output and ensuring competence in everything you do, there are other ways in which you can establish your personality. Friendships can be invaluable, particularly with management and those responsible for your career future.
As an employee or a manager, you can plan gift giving for recognition or some special occasions. Gifts – for example, personalized items from HALO.com – can be used to sweeten up relationships. Who doesn’t appreciate a mug with their favorite hobby or interest emblazoned across it? Feel free to try soft humor here where appropriate – a joking customized pen that hits the right tone can be a winner for your social life and for your career.
But always be aware of diversity and your colleagues’ nature when giving ‘humor’ a try!
Trust and loyalty
How you are perceived at work is key to your work-based success. Only those thought to be the most competent, most effective, most trustworthy operators will be allowed responsibility to make a difference. Obviously this requires loyalty to your employer and the workplace, but by taking more care over your own individual brand, you can manage your career on a more efficient trajectory.
Trust is a major player in strengthening your brand. To be a leader, influencer or just a better friend or coworker, building trust goes a long way. No matter how huge a banner you showcase of yourself, without trust everything else crumbles.
Some ways you can ‘talk’ trust in whatever you do at work:
- Honor company information or coworker confidence in you.
- Do what you say and try to exceed expectations at your workplace.
- Be responsible, accountable for your work, refrain from blaming others.
Your career will take numerous twists as it develops, and it may not always be possible to achieve your career objectives with your current employer. However, by playing a more strategic game, you stand a significantly higher chance of getting to where you need to be.
What has been your experience on building or honing on your personal brand for a stronger career path? Pls share in comments below.